Ruta del Sol - Vuelta ciclista a Andalucia 2014 2.1 (19th - 23rd Feb)

[TourOfSardinia]

Another win for Valverde

nice call ruamruam

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Sky's tactics would be hilarious if they wern't so boring

Seriously even in a long climb like this they couldn't do anything but a lead out for Valverde? Attacking with 500m to go on a MTF with Valverde in your wheel isn't called an attack, but a lead out.

 

[Carols]

So when does Sky figure out they can't just drag Valverde to the finish????

 

[maltiv]

Incredible tactics by Sky, they're such a diverse team.

 

[More Strides than Rides]

Valverde is playing cat and mouse with the whole sky team.

More specifically, Valverde is playing cat while Sky play mouse.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

More specifically, Valverde is playing cat while Sky play mouse.

Coz Sky don't have their Dawg here

 

[MatParker117]

Porte is not Froome, hell Sergio Henao may have been a better bet against Valverde today.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Sky's tactics would be hilarious if they wern't so boring

Seriously even in a long climb like this they couldn't do anything but a lead out for Valverde? Attacking with 500m to go on a MTF with Valverde in your wheel isn't called an attack, but a lead out.

Apart from Froome who can attack with several k's to go and drop Valverde I don't think anyone else can in Sky. Nice stints from Kennaugh, Kiri and Thomas today they just lacked the dawg to finish it off.

 

[EnacheV]

Incredible tactics by Sky, they're such a diverse team.

now let's not get carried away, no team showed anything extra except Valverde winning sprints.

Astana and the rest were even more annonymous.

 

[theyoungest]

A tempo climb, and Sky expect Porte to just ride off into the sunset... what a team.

 

[JRanton]

Their tactics were crap yesterday but I'm not sure they could have done anything differently today. The climb wasn't steep enough to do any real damage.

 

[JRanton]

A tempo climb, and Sky expect Porte to just ride off into the sunset... what a team.

What was the alternative though?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Looks like LL Sanchez refound his climbing legs from before Rabo/belkin

 

[Pricey_sky]

A tempo climb, and Sky expect Porte to just ride off into the sunset... what a team.

What else could they have done, more specifically what did any other team do? A plan that failed is better than no plan at all!

 

[Netserk]

What was the alternative though?

Not lead the group?

Go pedal to the floor in the first half, and then stop-n-go attacks.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Apart from Froome who can attack with several k's to go and drop Valverde I don't think anyone else can in Sky. Nice stints from Kennaugh, Kiri and Thomas today they just lacked the dawg to finish it off.

Well not even Froome can drop him with 500m to go, like Porte tried now. What' the point of having a train charge up the mountain if all you're gonna do is give Valverde a leadout?

At least make movistar take initiative, or try a longer attack, or let your domestiques attack, or just resign to being second, but what they're doing now is just making a fool out of themselves.....

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Not lead the group?

Go pedal to the floor in the first half, and then stop-n-go attacks.

Indeed, pedal to the floor, have 3 riders left, and then go in turns...

 

[theyoungest]

What else could they have done, more specifically what did any other team do? A plan that failed is better than no plan at all!

If you let Movistar do the work, you can at least try something tactically... now it was up to Porte to ride Valverde off his wheel on a 5% section. Good luck with that.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Well not even Froome can drop him with 500m to go, like Porte tried now. What' the point of having a train charge up the mountain if all you're gonna do is give Valverde a leadout?

At least make movistar take initiative, or try a longer attack, or let your domestiques attack, or just resign to being second, but what they're doing now is just making a fool out of themselves.....

I agree, Porte needed to go with a few k's to go like Froome would. I don't think Porte had the legs to go long though looking at his body language so maybe the best plan was just just ride tempo and limit losses.

 

[JRanton]

Indeed, pedal to the floor, have 3 riders left, and then go in turns...

Go in turns? What? And then have Izagirre set tempo chasing Thomas who wasn't a threat to Valverde anyway?

Great plan...

 

[Pricey_sky]

If you let Movistar do the work, you can at least try something tactically... now it was up to Porte to ride Valverde off his wheel on a 5% section. Good luck with that.

Obviously that wont work, Looking at his Porte towards the end there it seemed like he was suffering so maybe didn't have the legs to go long.

 

[jens_attacks]

They are flying. Can't wait to see Veetoo's numbers

http://www.climbing-records.com/2014/02/virgen-de-la-sierra-sky-train-works.html

26 kmph which is pretty huge for february. but still not very smart though. of course when richie will be stronger, it would make sense to do it

anwyay, congrats balaaaaa!

tomorrow, 4th in a row!

 

[EnacheV]

I think it starts to show that the "Sky" problem is more a "Froome" problem.

People expect to much from Sky when in fact Froome won 2012 TdF for Wiggins and won TdF 2013 without extremely huge need for help.

Take Froome out of Sky and they don't look that very impressive at all.

I hope Valverde wins at least one more. A great season start for Movistar.

 

[JRanton]

Not lead the group?

Go pedal to the floor in the first half, and then stop-n-go attacks.

And you seriously think that would have worked against Valverde, who is about five times more explosive than Porte?

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Looks like LL Sanchez refound his climbing legs from before Rabo/belkin

he is gone from rabo. usually riders get a lot better then. ll sanchez no exception